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THE 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar （which falls on September 13 this year） is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Because its main activities center around themes connected with the moon， it is also known as the Moon Festival. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival， since the moon is full， symbolizing reunion， it is also called the Reunion Festival. The tradition of this festival has continued for more than 2，000 years.
The tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors. In ancient times， Chinese emperors conducted ritual ceremonies of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and to the moon in autumn. It was customary to worship the sun on the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month in spring and the moon on the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month in autumn. As time passed， officials and scholars followed suit and the custom gradually spread among the common people.
During the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， there was a custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival， and many poets composed verses in which they talked about the moon. The popularity of the festival increased during the Song Dynasty （960-1279）， and in the early Song Dynasty the date was officially set as the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival during the Song Dynasty， wealthy families decorated pavilions in their gardens with flourishing flowers， while folks eagerly occupied restaurants and teahouses to enjoy the night.
Today， the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only celebrated in China， but can also in Japan， South Korea， and Southeast Asian countries which have been influenced by Chinese culture.
Concerning the Mid-Autumn Festival， the legend of the Goddess Chang’e flying to the moon is the most widely spread.
According to legend， in ancient times， 10 suns one day suddenly appeared in the sky， the crops withered， and the people were reaching the edge of starvation. A hero named Hou Yi， being a man of great strength， drew his bow and shot down nine of the suns， and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time for the benefit of the people.
As a result， all the people respected him. Many people studied martial arts with him. Among the crowds of people who followed and worshiped Hou Yi as a teacher， there was a man named Feng Meng， who was a treacherous and greedy man.
Chang’e， Hou Yi’s wife， was a beautiful and kind woman. She often helped the poor， and the folks liked her very much. One day， Hou Yi got a cure-all pill from the the Queen Mother of the West. It was said that by taking this medicine a person could not only become immortal， but also immediately be taken to heaven. However， Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife and gave the immortal pill to Chang’e. She hid it in the treasure chest of the dressing table. Sometime later， after Feng Meng learned about it， he decided that he was going to do everything possible to get the pill. On the morning of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month， Hou Yi led all his disciples out on a hunt. While everyone was gone， Feng carried out his mischievous plan. He pretended to be sick and did not go out on the hunt. Shortly after Hou Yi and the crowd set off， he broke into the house with his sword and forced Chang’e to hand over the pill. Chang’e knew she was no match for his strength. In a moment of desperation， she opened the treasure chest， took out the pill， and swallowed it. Immediately， Chang’e floated off the ground， out of the window， and up into the sky. As Chang’e was concerned about her husband， she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.
In the evening， Hou Yi came home， and the maids， in tears， related to him what had happened during the day. Hou Yi was both astounded and angry. He took out his sword and wanted to kill the villain. Unfortunately， Feng had already fled far away. The sorrowful Hou Yi looked up into the night sky， calling out the name of Chang’e. That evening， he noticed that the moon was exceptionally bright and that there was a swaying figure that resembled Chang’e on the moon. Hou Yi missed his wife so much that he sent people to her favorite back garden to set up an incense table. On the table， he arranged her favorite food and fresh fruits and offered a sacrifice to his Chang’e far away in the Moon Palace. After people heard the news that Chang’e had flown to the moon and become an immortal， they set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind lady. Legend has it that this is the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival custom of worshiping the moon.
The main customs of Mid-Autumn Festival are as follows：
Watching the moon： One of the most important activities during the MidAutumn Festival is a family sitting together and enjoying the beautiful scenery of a bright moonlit sky. In old times， as the moon rose in the sky， women would conduct ceremonies to pray for blessings in the courtyard or on the balcony. Silver candles were lit， the smoke curled up， and the table was arranged with fruits and cakes as sacrifices.
eating moon cakes： Chinese people have the custom of eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mooncakes are a kind of snack that were originally used to worship the goddess of the moon. Later， people gradually combined watching the moon with eating mooncakes， which symbolize family reunion. At the same time， mooncakes have also become important gifts for friends， helping people connect with each other during the festival. tide watching： In ancient times， besides watching the moon on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival， watching the rising tide， especially the tide of the Qiantang River was a grand event in Zhejiang Province. The custom of watching the Mid-Autumn tide dates back to the Han Dynasty. After the Han Dynasty， tide-watching was more popular， especially in the Song Dynasty.
Burning lights： On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival， people in some regions have the custom of burning lights to add the beauty of the moonlit sky. Ten days before the festival， each family use bamboo strips to make lanterns， in the shape of fruits， birds， beasts， fish， and worms， or in the shape of characters of “celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival” with multicolored paper. On Mid-Autumn Night， candles are lit inside the lanterns， which are tied to bamboo poles， and hung high.
Guessing riddles： On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival， lanterns are hung up in many public places and people gather around to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. Because this activity was well liked by most young people in ancient times， the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival riddle guessing has evolved into a form of expressing love between men and women.
appreciating sweet-scented osmanthus and drinking osmanthus wine： People often eat mooncakes and appreciate sweet-scented osmanthus during the Mid-Autumn Festival， and enjoy all kinds of food made of osmanthus， which are mostly cakes and candies. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival， looking up at the moonlit sky， smelling fragrant osmanthus， drinking a glass of osmanthus honey wine， and celebrating the reunion of the family all have become the favorite customs during this festival. In modern times， people mostly drink red wine.
Playing with lanterns： During the Mid-Autumn Festival， there is no largescale lantern show like that of the Lantern Festival. Children merely play with lanterns at their homes. As early as the Song Dynasty， there was the activity of putting lanterns into the river and allowing them to follow the current where it went. Activities for playing with lanterns during the MidAutumn Festival are mostly concentrated in the south of China.
Origin
The tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors. In ancient times， Chinese emperors conducted ritual ceremonies of offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and to the moon in autumn. It was customary to worship the sun on the morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month in spring and the moon on the evening of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month in autumn. As time passed， officials and scholars followed suit and the custom gradually spread among the common people.
During the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， there was a custom of enjoying the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival， and many poets composed verses in which they talked about the moon. The popularity of the festival increased during the Song Dynasty （960-1279）， and in the early Song Dynasty the date was officially set as the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival during the Song Dynasty， wealthy families decorated pavilions in their gardens with flourishing flowers， while folks eagerly occupied restaurants and teahouses to enjoy the night.
Today， the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only celebrated in China， but can also in Japan， South Korea， and Southeast Asian countries which have been influenced by Chinese culture.
Legend
Concerning the Mid-Autumn Festival， the legend of the Goddess Chang’e flying to the moon is the most widely spread.
According to legend， in ancient times， 10 suns one day suddenly appeared in the sky， the crops withered， and the people were reaching the edge of starvation. A hero named Hou Yi， being a man of great strength， drew his bow and shot down nine of the suns， and ordered the last sun to rise and fall on time for the benefit of the people.
As a result， all the people respected him. Many people studied martial arts with him. Among the crowds of people who followed and worshiped Hou Yi as a teacher， there was a man named Feng Meng， who was a treacherous and greedy man.
Chang’e， Hou Yi’s wife， was a beautiful and kind woman. She often helped the poor， and the folks liked her very much. One day， Hou Yi got a cure-all pill from the the Queen Mother of the West. It was said that by taking this medicine a person could not only become immortal， but also immediately be taken to heaven. However， Hou Yi was reluctant to leave his wife and gave the immortal pill to Chang’e. She hid it in the treasure chest of the dressing table. Sometime later， after Feng Meng learned about it， he decided that he was going to do everything possible to get the pill. On the morning of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month， Hou Yi led all his disciples out on a hunt. While everyone was gone， Feng carried out his mischievous plan. He pretended to be sick and did not go out on the hunt. Shortly after Hou Yi and the crowd set off， he broke into the house with his sword and forced Chang’e to hand over the pill. Chang’e knew she was no match for his strength. In a moment of desperation， she opened the treasure chest， took out the pill， and swallowed it. Immediately， Chang’e floated off the ground， out of the window， and up into the sky. As Chang’e was concerned about her husband， she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.
In the evening， Hou Yi came home， and the maids， in tears， related to him what had happened during the day. Hou Yi was both astounded and angry. He took out his sword and wanted to kill the villain. Unfortunately， Feng had already fled far away. The sorrowful Hou Yi looked up into the night sky， calling out the name of Chang’e. That evening， he noticed that the moon was exceptionally bright and that there was a swaying figure that resembled Chang’e on the moon. Hou Yi missed his wife so much that he sent people to her favorite back garden to set up an incense table. On the table， he arranged her favorite food and fresh fruits and offered a sacrifice to his Chang’e far away in the Moon Palace. After people heard the news that Chang’e had flown to the moon and become an immortal， they set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind lady. Legend has it that this is the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival custom of worshiping the moon.
Customs
The main customs of Mid-Autumn Festival are as follows：
Watching the moon： One of the most important activities during the MidAutumn Festival is a family sitting together and enjoying the beautiful scenery of a bright moonlit sky. In old times， as the moon rose in the sky， women would conduct ceremonies to pray for blessings in the courtyard or on the balcony. Silver candles were lit， the smoke curled up， and the table was arranged with fruits and cakes as sacrifices.
eating moon cakes： Chinese people have the custom of eating moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mooncakes are a kind of snack that were originally used to worship the goddess of the moon. Later， people gradually combined watching the moon with eating mooncakes， which symbolize family reunion. At the same time， mooncakes have also become important gifts for friends， helping people connect with each other during the festival. tide watching： In ancient times， besides watching the moon on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival， watching the rising tide， especially the tide of the Qiantang River was a grand event in Zhejiang Province. The custom of watching the Mid-Autumn tide dates back to the Han Dynasty. After the Han Dynasty， tide-watching was more popular， especially in the Song Dynasty.
Burning lights： On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival， people in some regions have the custom of burning lights to add the beauty of the moonlit sky. Ten days before the festival， each family use bamboo strips to make lanterns， in the shape of fruits， birds， beasts， fish， and worms， or in the shape of characters of “celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival” with multicolored paper. On Mid-Autumn Night， candles are lit inside the lanterns， which are tied to bamboo poles， and hung high.
Guessing riddles： On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival， lanterns are hung up in many public places and people gather around to guess the riddles written on the lanterns. Because this activity was well liked by most young people in ancient times， the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival riddle guessing has evolved into a form of expressing love between men and women.
appreciating sweet-scented osmanthus and drinking osmanthus wine： People often eat mooncakes and appreciate sweet-scented osmanthus during the Mid-Autumn Festival， and enjoy all kinds of food made of osmanthus， which are mostly cakes and candies. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival， looking up at the moonlit sky， smelling fragrant osmanthus， drinking a glass of osmanthus honey wine， and celebrating the reunion of the family all have become the favorite customs during this festival. In modern times， people mostly drink red wine.
Playing with lanterns： During the Mid-Autumn Festival， there is no largescale lantern show like that of the Lantern Festival. Children merely play with lanterns at their homes. As early as the Song Dynasty， there was the activity of putting lanterns into the river and allowing them to follow the current where it went. Activities for playing with lanterns during the MidAutumn Festival are mostly concentrated in the south of China.